Be Reel

In a rare treat, two unmistakable character actors join the pod: Wes Studi and Dale Dickey. If you don't know their names, you certainly know their indelible faces from movies like "The Last of the Mohicans" and "Winter's Bone." They star together in the tender, dusty new romance film, "A Love Song." Studi and Dickey tell Chance all about finally getting to kiss anyone on screen, plus plenty of talk about acting bucket lists, "Reservation Dogs" and improv battles with Jennifer Lawrence.

When your job is your life, a work spouse is there with a listening ear, comforting rapport, and maybe even soup--at least when that work marriage is functioning platonically and properly. On today's episode, Noah's work spouse, Elise, joins the program to break down what "Broadcast News" (1987), "Jerry Maguire" (1996), and "The Intern" (2015) say about high-stakes careers and the office life partners that make them navigable.

The acclaimed new Greek film "Apples" imagines a world in the grips of an amnesia epidemic. Director Christos Nikou swings by the pod to remember the origins of his debut feature, as well as what he learned from working with Yorgos Lanthimos on "Dogtooth."

For the 10th anniversary of “Magic Mike,” we make it rain critical reflection on Channing Tatum’s career-defining role and other standouts of the male stripper sub-genre like “The Full Monty” (1997) and “Chocolate City” (2015). Suffice it to say, if this episode had a stage name, it would probably be “Cash Rich” or “Threatened Masculinity.”

First director interview in a minute! Today we're talking to Jim Archer, who's made a new comedy called "Brian and Charles" about a kooky inventor (David Earl's Brian) who builds a 7-foot-tall robot (Chris Hayward's Charles) anxious to learn all it can about this world of ours. Jim discusses some of the film's documentary inspirations, shopping for mannequin heads and how to direct an actor who's inside a box. "Brian and Charles" is in theaters now, from Focus Features.

Rap our knuckles and yank our ears if you must, but we watched three irreverent nun movies for today’s show. From the musical-comedy of “Sister Act” (1992) to the demonic possession of “The Nun” (2018) to the perverse wonderment of “Benedetta” (2021), these sisters play by their own rules in the face of retribution and damnation. This episode has Whoopi, Valak and Paul Verhoeven making us talk dirty. Forgive us, listeners, for we have reappraised.

Few would call Nicolas Cage a chameleonic actor, but his career is always shapeshifting like no other. On the occasion of Cage playing himself in "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent," Chance is joined by fellow Portland film critic Ray Gill Jr. to review the new movie and then by returning champ Andy Crump to break down the last chapter of Cage's career as the icon embraces gravitas and grief in standouts like "Pig" and "Mandy." Photo: KATALIN VERMES/LIONSGATE

Countless movies capture the exhilaration and horror of high school, but only a select few resurrect those qualities for high school reunions. On this episode, we reminisce on this delightful and harrowing subgenre, featuring “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion” (1997), “Peggy Sue Got Married” (1986) and “Central Intelligence” (2016). There's one universal takeaway: even one night of reliving high school sends people off the deep end.

After a 2.5-year hiatus from watching movies in person, your trusty hosts recently took time away from getting sunburned in Miami to catch three new films. This month, we're talking THE OUTFIT, DEEP WATER, and X. But these three titles have something in common beyond their release weekend. After some Oscars jibber-jabber, we talk claustrophobic gangster pictures, Affleck erotic thrillers, chainsaw-less Texas massacres, and the violence of aging.

In the wake of "Death On The Nile," we peer through our spyglass at that classic sub-sub-genre Nautical Murder Mysteries. Along for the pleasure cruise is Mashable illustrator Bob Al-Greene, who's currently working on the first-ever graphic novelization of an Agatha Christie mystery. We talk Poirot, Branagh, and distracting CGI before diving into our other nautical murder mysteries: "Dead Calm" (1989) and "Murder Mystery" (2019). Did the skipper do it? Listen in.

While 2020 kept so many families painfully apart, three acclaimed indies from last year made the opposite case: "Why do I see these people again?" Playing a little 2021 catch-up, Chance and Noah drop by to visit "Spencer," "Shiva Baby," and "The Humans" to explore how families—be they English royalty or middle-class Americans—banter, bristle, covet nostalgia, push buttons, and flirt with genuine horror. But hey, just look at that spread.

To celebrate the 80th birthday of the eternal G.O.A.T., Chance dives deep into Muhammad Ali's cinematic legacy. Morgan Campbell of CBC Sports joins to discuss the unwavering supply of Ali documentaries and films, plus the necessity of preserving context around Ali's life and legacy as an activist athlete. Then, to finish, Chance runs down his three favorite Ali films. Happy birthday, champ.

To close the book on 2021 movies, Chance is joined by Conner Reed (Portland Monthly) to celebrate their favorite films and performances in the following categories: Oregon Feature, Documentary, Foreign Film, Blockbuster, Comedy, Horror, Acting Newcomer, Ensemble, Supporting Performance, Lead Performance, and Top 3 Movies of 2021. Happy new year, all!

One doesn’t simply walk into a “Lord of the Rings” episode—at least not without a 20-year anniversary and amateur Tolkien scholar Brent Rivers on one’s side. On today's blockbuster episode, our fellowship reflects on an all-time great film trilogy, assessing LOTR’s bizarre relationship to star power, how Peter Jackson adapted almost anti-modern novels, and how the trilogy’s approach to franchise filmmaking stands alone.

After many Thanksgivings spent recording supersized Be Reels, we finally do the sensible thing and just cover films about Turkey Day itself. The trio of “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” (1987), “Home For The Holidays” (1995) and “The Ice Storm” (1997) explores the great lengths to which families go to gather, despite cornucopias of evidence they shouldn’t. To all those surviving delayed flights and cooking for too many people this year, this one’s for you.

In the debut of a "Guest's Choice" format, Portland writer and film programmer Aaron Colter joins Chance to discuss a pair of '80s movies about New York vampires: "The Hunger" (1983) and "Vampire's Kiss" (1989). The former is Tony Scott's first movie (dark, entrancing, and with David Bowie), while the latter finds Nicolas Cage channeling Nosferatu to ends we still don't understand. Portlanders can see "The Hunger" at Clinton Street Theater on Thursday, Oct. 28 — https://cstpdx.com/schedule.

By the year 1991, Wes Craven had already solidified his place in the Hollywood "master of horror" pantheon. But for his third act, the "Nightmare on Elm Street" creator began asking, "What's the point of all this slashing?" as he embarked on a series of socially critical and self-reflexive scary movies: "The People Under The Stairs" (1991), "New Nightmare" (1994) and "Scream" (1996). For your Halloween episode, we dive in.

Reflecting on Sept. 11, 2001 twenty years later, we watched three films depicting the post-9/11 psyche at its most charged and wounded. "25th Hour" (2002), "Worth" (2021) and "Reign Over Me" (2007) consider 9/11 from grieving standpoints, but they also tell on themselves, revealing how difficult meaningful reflection actually is, whether from swaggering New Yorkers, bereaved Adam Sandlers, or the lawyers overseeing the Victim Compensation Fund.

Our fraternity of microphones and movie opinions celebrates its 200th episode this month, so we're taking the opportunity to review films about brothers and their criminal gambits. From the thousand-car pileups of "The Blues Brothers" (1980) to the street-crime insanity of "Four Brothers" (2005) to the dapper cons of "The Brothers Bloom" (2008), we tip our caps to the unbreakable bonds and wild squabbles of brotherly love. Happy 200, all.

Before the DM or chatroom, if you wanted to connect with a stranger pseudo-anonymously, you bought a personal ad. This week, we seek three films with classified ads as inciting incidents: “Desperately Seeking Susan” (1985), “Single White Female (1992) and the now 20-year-old “Ghost World” (2001). Romance, murder and vicarious living abound, plus the story of Chance and Noah answering an ad.